Chapter 31: At the Edge of the Western Sea, the Ancient Cultivator

After bidding farewell to Master Xuanming, Su Chen did not delay a moment and headed straight toward Dongsheng Shenzhou.

He was now a Ren Xian, his immortal energy circulating ceaselessly within him, resonating with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and he had gained a faint insight into the Dao of space—his speed far surpassed his former self.

“Shrink Earth to Inch!”

Su Chen activated his newly awakened divine technique; his immortal energy surged instantly, flowing along an arcane trajectory.

The space beneath his feet seemed to be gently pinched by an invisible hand, subtly wrinkling.

He took one step forward.

The scene before him abruptly changed—he was no longer before the ancient Daoist temple of Gongshan, but in an unfamiliar forest dozens of li away.

The mountain wind blew, rustling his blue Daoist robe.

“So fast!”

Su Chen couldn’t help but admire inwardly.

This was the first divine technique granted to him by the space Dao inscription etched onto his Golden Core.

Compared to his old wind-riding technique, it was like heaven versus earth.

Wind-riding meant flying through heaven and earth—a minor art among all flight techniques.

But this “Shrink Earth to Inch” moved him directly through the fabric of space, drastically shortening the distance between two points.

Yet the cost of such a technique was astonishing.

Just this single step had drained a small portion of his immortal energy.

Even with his current Ren Xian early-stage cultivation base, he could not use it many times before needing to pause and recover.

“It seems this technique, though powerful, cannot serve as a regular means of travel—only for critical moments.”

Su Chen quickly reached this conclusion.

He ceased using “Shrink Earth to Inch” and reverted to his wind-riding technique.

Yet this wind-riding was now vastly different from when he had cultivated to the Realm of Merging with the Dao.

His form shot upward, becoming a streak of blue light that vanished in an instant across the horizon.

With the enhancement of immortal energy, his speed was more than ten times faster than before; the wind roared past his ears, and mountains and rivers rushed backward beneath him.

The journey from Xiuniu Hezhou to Dongsheng Shenzhou was immensely distant.

As he traveled, Su Chen pondered in his mind how he would speak to the Monkey.

He knew Sun Wukong’s nature better than anyone.

That monkey was naturally unruly and, having gained such boundless power, was now at the height of his arrogance, defying all restraint.

Now that he had sworn brotherhood with the Seven Great Saints and declared himself “Equal to Heaven,” it sounded glorious—but in truth, it was placing him on a pyre.

What kind of place was the Heavenly Court?

The sovereign of the Three Realms, ruling all directions.

Though the Jade Emperor appeared weak in later-era films and dramas, Su Chen would never believe that.

Who could hold that throne for countless eons without being extraordinary?

With Sun Wukong’s rebellion, where would the Heavenly Court save face?

Sending troops to subdue him was inevitable.

“How should I warn him?”

Su Chen furrowed his brow.

Should he go straight to him and say: “Brother Monkey, stop causing trouble—the Heavenly Court is too powerful, you can’t defeat them. Give up your tricks and stay quietly as the Beautiful Monkey King of Huaguo Mountain.”

He didn’t know if Sun Wukong would believe him.

Su Chen suspected that, given the monkey’s temperament, such words might have the opposite effect.

He might then feel compelled to defy the Heavenly Court just to prove himself.

Since direct warning wouldn’t work, he would hint indirectly.

He could use his knowledge of the Journey to the West’s course, subtly advising him through the guise of his Master’s words.

Given Sun Wukong’s suspicious nature, upon hearing such hints, even if he said nothing aloud, he would surely harbor doubts.

As long as that thorn took root in his mind, he might act with more caution and less flamboyance.

Even if it merely reduced the number of his misdeeds or lessened the intensity of his rebellion against Heaven, this karmic thread would have changed.

Once karma shifted, the Celestial Mirror would inevitably react—and his Celestial Points would be secured.

“That’s settled!”

Su Chen made his decision, and his mind instantly cleared.

He stopped overthinking and focused solely on his journey.

Xiuniu Hezhou was vast and boundless; even with his current Ren Xian power and full-speed flight, he flew for seven or eight days before gradually leaving the inland region.

The terrain ahead began to flatten, and the air grew damp and salty.

After another half-day of flight, a boundless blue coastline appeared at the horizon’s edge.

The Western Sea!

Massive waves crashed against jagged rocks, roaring deafeningly.

Seagulls circled in the sky, crying out sharply.

The endless blue ocean merged with the sky, its grandeur opening Su Chen’s heart.

Once he crossed this Western Sea, he would enter Nanjian Buzhou.

After passing through Nanjian Buzhou and crossing the Eastern Sea, he would reach Dongsheng Shenzhou and find Huaguo Mountain.

Su Chen did not rush to cross the sea.

After days of continuous high-speed flight, his immortal energy had been significantly depleted.

He decided to first find a quiet spot along the shore, meditate, restore his energy, and reach peak condition before crossing the Western Sea.

He spread his spiritual sense, and soon found a suitable resting place along the coastline.

It was a stretch of continuous black cliffs, like the spine of a giant beast, extending deep into the sea. Beneath the cliffs, furious waves pounded the shore, and no humans were to be seen—perfect for a temporary rest.

He moved swiftly and landed atop one of the cliff’s summits.

Just as he was about to sit cross-legged and activate his cultivation method—

“Hmm?”

Su Chen suddenly sensed something and sharply turned his head toward the other side of the cliff.

In that instant, he had keenly perceived an extremely faint yet unmistakable energy fluctuation.

It was the spatial ripple produced when a formation was about to collapse.

Before his cultivation, he might not have recognized it.

But now, with the space Dao inscription etched onto his Golden Core, his perception of such energy had become extraordinarily acute.

“This place is strange!”

Su Chen’s interest stirred instantly.

Without hesitation, he stood up, activated “Shrink Earth to Inch,” and vanished in a flash toward the source of the energy.

With one step, Su Chen crossed several li and arrived atop the cliff where the energy fluctuation originated.

The area was strewn with jagged rocks, howling with sea winds—nothing but stones and moss clinging to crevices.

Su Chen’s gaze quickly locked onto an unremarkable stretch of cliff wall.

The energy fluctuation came from behind it.

He reached out and lightly touched the cold stone, sending a thread of spiritual sense into it.

His spiritual sense pierced through thick rock layers—beyond the cliff lay a hollow chamber. A cave, dozens of zhang in diameter, lay quietly hidden within the mountain.

At the cave’s entrance, a thin, translucent veil, riddled with cracks, flickered intermittently; each flicker released a trace of weak spatial energy.

“So this is an ancient cultivator’s cave, concealed by a formation.”